News Release

SIU Investigating Burk’s Falls Incident; Man Died Later in Hospital

Witness Assistance

The province’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding an interaction between police and a 54-year-old man earlier this month in Armour Township. The man later died in hospital.

Preliminary information suggests the following:

At approximately 4 p.m. on March 4, 2019, Ontario Provincial Police officers conducted a vehicle stop in Armour Township. The driver and a passenger were arrested, and both were taken to the detachment in Burk’s Falls.

When the vehicle passenger went into medical distress, Emergency Medical Services was contacted, and the man was transported to hospital and admitted into the Intensive Care Unit.

On March 15, 2019, the man died in hospital.

At this time, two investigators have been assigned to this case. A post-mortem was conducted yesterday.

The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation to contact the Unit at 1-800-787-8529. The Unit is also urging anyone who may have any video evidence related to this incident to upload that video through the SIU website.

The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must

consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation

depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid